Страница 118 из 118
But she’d grow up in a world without limits. Where a short trip took you to one of the stars, and the bounty of worlds circling them. Where what job you did or what education you pursued or how many children you had was your choice, not a government mandate.
It was dizzying to think of.
Someone walked into the lounge behind her, their footsteps clicking. “Tilly, I just sent—” A
“Doctor Volovodov,” he said, his tone a mild apology.
“Doctor Cortez,” she replied. The renewed formality between them seemed silly to A
“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said, sitting and staring out at the stars. Not looking at her. He didn’t look her in the eye anymore.
“Not at all. Just recording a message home and enjoying the view.”
They sat silently for a few moments, watching the stars.
“Esteban lost,” Cortez said, as if they’d been talking about that all along.
“I don’t— Oh, the secretary-general. He did?”
“Nancy Gao is the new SG. You can see Chrisjen Avasarala’s fingerprints all over that one.”
“Who?”
Cortez laughed. It sounded genuine, a nice loud rumble coming up from his belly. “Oh, she would love to hear you say that.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s the politician no one has ever voted for, that runs the UN like her own personal fiefdom and keeps her name out of the press. The fact that she controls your home government and you’ve never heard of her means she’s very, very good.”
“Oh,” A
There was another long silence. A
“You backed the right horse,” Cortez finally said. “I picked a bad one. I hope you won’t hold that against me. I’ve grown to respect you a great deal, in spite of our differences. I wouldn’t like it if you hated me.”
“I don’t, Hector,” A
Cortez gave her a grateful smile and patted her hand. A
“So many stars,” she said. “Some of them might be ours someday.”
“I wonder,” Hector replied, his voice low and sad. “I wonder if we should have them. God gave man the Earth. He never promised him the stars. I wonder if He’ll follow us out there.”
A
Cortez gave a noncommittal grunt.
“I want her to have them,” she said, pointing at the spray of light around her. “My little Nami, I want her to have all of that someday.”
“Whatever she finds out there,” Cortez said, “just remember it’s the future youchose for her.”
His words were full of hope and threat.
Like the stars.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue: Manéo
Chapter One: Holden
Chapter Two: Bull
Chapter Three: Melba
Chapter Four: A
Chapter Five: Bull
Chapter Six: Holden
Chapter Seven: Melba
Chapter Eight: A
Chapter Nine: Bull
Chapter Ten: Holden
Chapter Eleven: Melba
Chapter Twelve: A
Chapter Thirteen: Bull
Chapter Fourteen: Melba
Chapter Fifteen: Bull
Chapter Sixteen: Holden
Chapter Seventeen: Bull
Chapter Eighteen: A
Chapter Nineteen: Melba
Chapter Twenty: Holden
Chapter Twenty-One: Bull
Chapter Twenty-Two: Holden
Chapter Twenty-Three: Melba
Chapter Twenty-Four: A
Chapter Twenty-Five: Holden
Chapter Twenty-Six: Bull
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Melba
Chapter Twenty-Eight: A
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Bull
Chapter Thirty: Holden
Chapter Thirty-One: Melba
Chapter Thirty-Two: A
Chapter Thirty-Three: Bull
Chapter Thirty-Four: Clarissa
Chapter Thirty-Five: A
Chapter Thirty-Six: Holden
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Clarissa
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Bull
Chapter Thirty-Nine: A
Chapter Forty: Holden
Chapter Forty-One: Bull
Chapter Forty-Two: Clarissa
Chapter Forty-Three: Holden
Chapter Forty-Four: A
Chapter Forty-Five: Bull
Chapter Forty-Six: Clarissa
Chapter Forty-Seven: Holden
Chapter Forty-Eight: Bull
Chapter Forty-Nine: A
Chapter Fifty: Holden
Chapter Fifty-One: Clarissa
Chapter Fifty-Two: Holden
Chapter Fifty-Three: Clarissa
Epilogue: A
Acknowledgments
About the author By James S. A. Corey
Acknowledgments
Once again, we have more people to thank than space to thank them in. This book and this series wouldn’t exist without the hard work of our agent Da
About the author
James S. A. Coreyis the pen name of fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, George R. R. Martin’s assistant. They both live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.